Coach Justin Dehmer is certain to see more media coverage as his team tries to overtake Portsmouth (N.H.) for the longest baseball winning streak.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Findley - voiceofseason.com
crept to within three games of the national record for consecutive baseball wins with a pair of victories on Friday.
The Blue Devils scored their most lopsided win of the season in a 23-2 victory over East Union (Afton, Iowa) and then topped Corning (Iowa) 9-2 for their 80th consecutive victory.
Portsmouth ( N.H.) holds the record with 83 consecutive wins, set two months ago.
Martensdale-St. Mary's (37-0) begins postseason play Tuesday with a first-round district game against Iowa Christian Academy, a team it defeated 10-0 earlier this season. The final game of district play is scheduled to be played on the Blue Devils' home field on Saturday. If the Blue Devils reach that game and win it, that victory would tie Portsmouth's record. Martensdale-St. Mary's could then break the record in the first round of substates on July 19.
The race to the record between Portsmouth and Martensdale-St. Mary's is reminiscent of the last time the national consecutive wins record was broken.
La Cueva (Albuquerque, N.M.) broke the previous record of 68 consecutive wins, held by
Archbishop Molloy (Queens, N.Y.), only to have
Homer (Mich.), which finished its season later in the spring, eclipse the Bears and set the mark of 75 wins in a row in 2005.
Most Consecutive Wins
83 - Portsmouth (N.H.), 2008-2011 (active)
80 - Martensdale-St. Mary's (Iowa), 2010-11 (active)
75 - Homer (Mich.), 2004-05
70 - La Cueva (Albuquerque, N.M.), 2002-05
68 - Archbishop Molloy (Queens, N.Y.), 1963-66
67 - Sumrall (Miss.), 2008-2010
66 - Capitol Hill (Oklahoma City), 1952-54
65 - Waxahachie (Texas), 1924-27
64 - Edwardsville (Ill.), 1990-91
64 - Nekoosa (Wisc.), 1980-83
64 - Naugatuck (Conn.), 1969-73
64 - St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.), 64
Note: Records courtesy of National Federation of High Schools Record Book.
